INTEL was fined 376 million euros (S$547.5 million) on Friday (Sep 22) in a European Union (EU) antitrust case stemming from actions the US chipmaker took between 2002 and 2006.

An initial record fine of 1.06 billion euros in 2009 was thrown out last year by the Luxembourg-based General Court, Europe’s second highest.

The court, however, agreed with the European Commission that Intel illegally excluded rivals from the market, which prompted the EU antitrust watchdog to reopen the case.

The 2009 ruling accused Intel of blocking rival Advanced Micro Devices.

On Friday, the EU watchdog said it had reimposed a fine for practices between November 2002 and December 2006, when Intel paid HP, Acer and Lenovo to halt or delay rival products.

“The General Court confirmed that Intel’s naked restrictions amounted to an abuse of dominant market position under EU competition rules,” the European Commission said.

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Intel did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Commission has appealed the General Court’s ruling last year at the EU Court of Justice, Europe’s top court. REUTERS